Technology readiness among UK-based cognitively unaffected older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: potential implications for decentralised Alzheimer’s disease prevention trials
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains a global health and socioeconomic burden. Telemedicine has been more widely used since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and may be an effective strategy to mitigate the rising costs associated with AD. This study aimed to assess technology readiness among older adults at risk of developing dementia, with the goal of informing the design and delivery of technology-based approaches in AD prevention research.
Methods: Cognitively unaffected older adults (n=226) from the CHARIOT PRO Substudy were invited to complete the CHARIOT Technology Questionnaire (CTQ). CTQ assessed technology experiences and attitudes, including ‘technology readiness’ via the Technology Readiness Index (TRI).
Results: Female participants scored, on average, lower TRI (M=27.50, SD=6.87) compared to males (M=29.50, SD=6.02). Furthermore, age predicted levels of technology readiness. Exploratory factor analysis determined two factors: “Technology Competence” (Factor 1) and “Technology Trepidation” (Factor 2). Gender differences were found for “Technology Competence” (but not “Technology Trepidation”), and age predicted “Technology Trepidation” (but not “Technology Competence”).
Discussion: Differences in gender, age, “Technology Competence”, and “Technology Trepidation” may highlight those who need additional study and/or support in remote-based AD dementia prevention trials.
Conclusions: COVID-19 has accelerated our adoption of ‘digitalisation’ in AD dementia research. A deeper understanding of the barriers to technology readiness may help inform future AD research studies.
Methods: Cognitively unaffected older adults (n=226) from the CHARIOT PRO Substudy were invited to complete the CHARIOT Technology Questionnaire (CTQ). CTQ assessed technology experiences and attitudes, including ‘technology readiness’ via the Technology Readiness Index (TRI).
Results: Female participants scored, on average, lower TRI (M=27.50, SD=6.87) compared to males (M=29.50, SD=6.02). Furthermore, age predicted levels of technology readiness. Exploratory factor analysis determined two factors: “Technology Competence” (Factor 1) and “Technology Trepidation” (Factor 2). Gender differences were found for “Technology Competence” (but not “Technology Trepidation”), and age predicted “Technology Trepidation” (but not “Technology Competence”).
Discussion: Differences in gender, age, “Technology Competence”, and “Technology Trepidation” may highlight those who need additional study and/or support in remote-based AD dementia prevention trials.
Conclusions: COVID-19 has accelerated our adoption of ‘digitalisation’ in AD dementia research. A deeper understanding of the barriers to technology readiness may help inform future AD research studies.
Date Issued
2025-07-30
Date Acceptance
2025-06-12
Citation
BMC Geriatrics, 2025, 25
ISSN
1471-2318
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
BMC Geriatrics
Volume
25
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 563